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Rational use of natural resources
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The problem of rational use of natural resources is closely connected with environmental protection.
Today the interaction between society and nature resulting from intense industrial growth through out the world on the basis of existing technologies that produce a diversity of by-products has attained dimensions that are so extreme that they threaten to mankind’s very existence, both through the depletion of natural resources and through the pollution of man’s environment that is dangerous to his life.
It is estimated that the aggregate volume of goods and services in developed countries now doubles every 15 years, and there is a tendency for that period to decrease. But the volume of waste from economic activities continues to double, too. It contaminates the atmosphere, water bodies, and the soil. For each inhabitant of industrially developed countries approximately 30 tons of matter are extracted each year, of which only 1-1.5 per cent is embodied in products that are consumed, while the rest is a huge amount of industrial and household waste discharged into the environment. Here are some figures. In the 1970s, about 2 million chemical compounds (aside from chemical fertilizers) were discharged into earth’s biosphere. According to the World Health Organization, 40,000 chemical agents used by man kind are harmful for the human organism. Every year over 250,000 new chemical compounds are synthesized in the world, of which about 300 are utilized in production and may enter the environment.
Environmental pollution in the industrialized capitalist countries is reaching formidable proportions. For example, in Japan in 1970 it amounted to $ 23 billion, and in the United States, in 1977 the damage caused by air pollution alone was as high as $ billion.
Modern industrial production creates basically new materials and wastes hitherto non-existent in nature and in many respects foreign to living organisms by their physical and chemical structure. The influence exerted by new chemical substances, new types of energy, and various physical radiations on man has given rise to formerly unknown diseases, namely, genetic, toxicological, allergic, respiratory, endocrine and others. The problem of a healthy environment has now become as vital as that of providing man with foodstuffs or energy.
An enormous work has been done in our country over past few years on the rational use and reproduction of natural resources, and prevention and liquidation of adverse consequences of society’s influence on the environment. The state allocates huge sums for environmental protection, provides for further measures to control the environment and sources of its pollution.
They envisage the introduction of new effective ways of developing mineral deposits, the elimination of harmful discharges into the atmosphere, combating production, transport and bother noises, vibrations and the effect of electric and magnetic fields and radiation. The state also provides for the comprehensive and rational utilization and protection of land, water and forest resources, for upgrading forecasting and minimizing the impact of industrial production on the environment, taking into account possible consequences when preparing and adopting various projects.
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A large environmental improvement project is under way in Russia. In view of the water shortage in a number of regions and the impending growth of water consumption it is planned to oblige all branches of the national economy, particularly agriculture (in irrigation of land) to use water thriftily, and to increase the water resources of southern regions by territorially redistributing the drain.
To preserve the purity of water bodies provision is made for water protection measures, further large-scale construction of purifying installations in cities and rural areas, and in industry with a total daily carrying capacity of over 70 million cu.m. Measures are carried out to prevent mineral fertilizers and toxic chemicals from being transferred from arable lands. Industry is facing the enormous task of introducing non-waste technology.
It is planned to preserve southern seas, particularly the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov. Tens of millions of roubles are allocated annually for the conservation and restoration of fish resources.
Better technical maintenance of motor vehicles, the application of neutralizers, upgrading of engine design, use of new types of fuel and low-toxic additives thereto, the manufacture of gas-cylinder cars as well as the elaboration of optimal traffic control systems- all this will help minimize air pollution in cities caused by motor transport.
Far-reaching environmental protection measures are being implemented in agriculture. Organizational and economic measures were sufficient to raise the anti-erosion effect. Agrotechnical measures will help to additionally retain surface drain and decrease soil washout.
Biological means of combating diseases and pest control are being worked out and brought to the commercial level along with an increase in the manufacture of mineral fertilizers and chemical agents to protect plants.
Monitoring the discharge of toxic and harmful substances into the environment is also being intensified. With respect to more than 2,500 noxious substances limits have been set up in Russia to the maximum permissible concentration in the air, water, soil and foodstuffs. In most cases the environmental quality standards in Russia are more stringent than those in other countries.
I. Пояснения к тексту.
1. give rise to – вызывать, приводить к
2. be under way – проводиться, осуществляться
3. carrying capacity –пропускная способность (капала,сооружение)
II. Найдите в тексте слова, близкие по значению следующим словам и словосочетаниям:
total, provide for, harmful, use, lack fight, remove (liquid, gas, etc.,), control, industrial, elimination, enormous, forestation, allowable, every year, economical, impact, be equal to, improve the quality.
III. Пользуясь материалом текста, переведите следующие словосочетания:
до сих пор (прежде) не существовавшие в природе; общий (совокупный) объём товаров и услуг; внедрять безотходную технологию; ущерб, причинённый (вызванный) только загрязнением воздуха; составляющие площадь; бережливое отношение к природе; экономно использовать воду; путем использования новейших средств (используя новейшие средства).
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IV. Подтвердите фактам из текста положение о том, что проблема создания среды, благоприятной для здоровья человека, имеет жизненно важное значение.
SOURCES AND COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC
POLLUTANT
Scientists distinguish between natural and artificial sources of atmospheric pollution.
Natural pollution of the atmosphere occurs when volcanoes erupt, rock is weathered, dust storms take place, forest fires occur as a result of lightning, and sea salt is washed ashore. The atmosphere always contains aeroplankton (bacteria, including those causing disease), fungi spores, plant pollen, etc.
Artificial pollution of the atmosphere is characteristic mostly of cities and industrial districts. Cities and suburbs contain numerous industrial enterprises, automobiles and heating system which pollute the atmosphere and negatively influence the local climate. It has been established that air pollution in urban areas grows in proportion to the population.
For a long time the problem of air pollution in the cities was chiefly connected with coal-burning in heating system which emitted smoke, ashes and sulphurous gas (SO2). Today industrial enterprises and automobiles are the primary sources of atmospheric pollution.
Industry pollutes the atmosphere by emissions of harmful gases and industrial dust. Thermal electric plants, metallurgical and chemical factories, oil refineries, cement and other works are sources of air pollution.
The chemical composition of emissions into the atmosphere is different depending on the kind of fuel, of raw materials, technology, etc. For example, blast furnace gas contains poisonous carbon monoxide, while the smoke of aluminum factories pollutes the atmosphere with fluoride compounds. Paper manufacturing enterprises emit soot, sulphurous anhydride, hydrogen sulfide and mercaptan into the air. The making of synthetic fibres (nylon, for example) is accompanied by the emission of toxic carbon disulfide (CS2) and hydrogen sulfide.
Large amounts of dust are emitted into the atmosphere by thermal electric plants using low-grade coals that yield large quantities of soot and a high percentage of sulphur-containing compounds. Mest electric power plants which burn 2,000 tons of low-grade coal a day emit about 400 tons of sulphurous gas every day.
The number of automobiles is rapidly increasing in all industrial countries. There are more than 300 million motor vehicles in the world today The automobile is a convenient means of transport, but it has a negative influence on the environment. It is estimated that one car burns up the amount of fresh air needed for 100 adults to breathe at the same time, it emits the same amount of fumes into the atmosphere.
The first group includes non-toxic substances: nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and water vapour. Carbon dioxide (CO2) may also be included in Research carried out in Russia has shown that automobile exhaust gases are a complicated mixture of many components. But their diversity may be broken down into several groups.
this group as it is not a threat to man.
The second group includes carbon monoxide (CO), a very toxic gas and present in large quantities (up to 12 per cent).
The third group consists of the nitrogen monoxide (No) and dioxide (NO2), also very toxic.
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The fourth, most numerous group of substances consists of the carbohydrates, including: ethylene, acetylene, methane, propane, toluene and others.
The fifth group is made up of the aldehydes, mostly the very toxic formaldehyde (formalin).
Finally, the sixth group is soot emitted by Diesel engines. It has the capacity to absorb the carcinogenic substances contained in exhaust fumes.
City air is polluted not only by exhaust fumes but also by the products of their oxidization, often more toxic than the initial substance. One of them is ozone which is useful in small quantities, but is deadly poisonous in large concentrations.
The problem of radioactive pollution of the atmosphere arose in 1945 after the atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then atomic weapons have become much more powerful and have been stockpiled in large quantities.
When an atom bomb explodes, an extremely high level of radiation covers an enormous area for a long period of time as the radioactive particles are dispersed. From the atmosphere, the radioactive products fall on the earth, polluting the soil, water bodies and living organisms. Finely dispersed dust is carried many thousand of kilometres away and causes global radioactive pollution of the atmosphere.
Radioactive elements (isotopes) formed during the explosion are taken in by the human body in different ways and have different effect.
Задания к тексту
I. Закончите данные предложения, исходя из содержания текста:
1. It has been established that air pollution in urban areas grows in ………..
2. The chemical composition of emissions into the atmosphere is different depending on ……….
3. Large amounts of dust are emitted into the atmosphere by ……..
4. The automobile is a convenient means of transport, but it has …..
5. City air is polluted not only by exhaust fumes but also by ……...
6. The problem of radioactive pollution of the atmosphere arose in 1945 after ………...
7. Radioactive elements formed during the explosion are taken in by ………...
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